I have a question about chronic wrist injuries in former gymnasts/ social gymnasts (made that one up, I'm not competitive and just do self training along side my coaching!).
So, I developed a wrist injury back when I was competing which eventually caused me to stop gymnastics (partially along with some other reasons). Skip forward 10 years of which 5 years I did not step foot in a gym (played tennis though) and the others I've coached and done some training on the side. I still have the exact same problem with my wrist as I did back when I was competing only I feel it is worse now as there is different pains as well as the one I had back then. The movement that brings on the pain is the dorsiflexion/ hyperextension movement that is so very common in gymnastics. My right wrist (I'm right handed and footed) is the only one that bothers me. Tumbling doesn't aggravate it as much (still does) as prolonged weight through the wrist (handstands, front support on bars). I can tell you my range of motion is considerably decreased (maybe getting 45-60degrees passively and 30 degrees actively, this is worse than when I was competing) and has been since I was 13 when I was seeing a physio for it. They diagnosed stress fracture in the growth plate back then (I refused to wear a splint for longer than a week as it gave me a skin reaction and the itchiness drove me insane) and then I stopped gymnastics and didn't think twice about it again until I started doing gymnastics/ coaching 5 years later. I currently can hold a 30 second handstand maybe 30 secs for 3 reps before I can't do anymore and have to not hyperextend it for about 10-30 mins before I can handle doing it again. Problem is, I love handstanding so ignore it as much as possible. I don't strap as it has never helped nor has a physio ever suggested it. I had an MRI last year which showed minor degenerative changes in the radial side of the wrist but nothing significant that they could see. My wrist pops, cracks, grinds (my left one does to some extent as well). I can pretty much say that there is no way I will stop doing the things that aggravate it.
My question is how common is it to have a chronic injury and can something that has been around for 10+ years get better? Does anyone have any suggestions for reducing pain and increasing the amount of time I can place weight through my wrist? It is hard to get hold of a sports physio where I live due to location but does anyone think it is worth tracking one down (I'd have to travel 1-1.5 hours). I'm undecided whether it is worth it. The wrist doesn't bother me much in day to day life (occasionally though) and pretty much only does during coaching/ gymnastics/ and conditioning where prolonged forces are going through the wrist.
Sorry about the long winded post, just wanted to give a little history.
Thanks
So, I developed a wrist injury back when I was competing which eventually caused me to stop gymnastics (partially along with some other reasons). Skip forward 10 years of which 5 years I did not step foot in a gym (played tennis though) and the others I've coached and done some training on the side. I still have the exact same problem with my wrist as I did back when I was competing only I feel it is worse now as there is different pains as well as the one I had back then. The movement that brings on the pain is the dorsiflexion/ hyperextension movement that is so very common in gymnastics. My right wrist (I'm right handed and footed) is the only one that bothers me. Tumbling doesn't aggravate it as much (still does) as prolonged weight through the wrist (handstands, front support on bars). I can tell you my range of motion is considerably decreased (maybe getting 45-60degrees passively and 30 degrees actively, this is worse than when I was competing) and has been since I was 13 when I was seeing a physio for it. They diagnosed stress fracture in the growth plate back then (I refused to wear a splint for longer than a week as it gave me a skin reaction and the itchiness drove me insane) and then I stopped gymnastics and didn't think twice about it again until I started doing gymnastics/ coaching 5 years later. I currently can hold a 30 second handstand maybe 30 secs for 3 reps before I can't do anymore and have to not hyperextend it for about 10-30 mins before I can handle doing it again. Problem is, I love handstanding so ignore it as much as possible. I don't strap as it has never helped nor has a physio ever suggested it. I had an MRI last year which showed minor degenerative changes in the radial side of the wrist but nothing significant that they could see. My wrist pops, cracks, grinds (my left one does to some extent as well). I can pretty much say that there is no way I will stop doing the things that aggravate it.
My question is how common is it to have a chronic injury and can something that has been around for 10+ years get better? Does anyone have any suggestions for reducing pain and increasing the amount of time I can place weight through my wrist? It is hard to get hold of a sports physio where I live due to location but does anyone think it is worth tracking one down (I'd have to travel 1-1.5 hours). I'm undecided whether it is worth it. The wrist doesn't bother me much in day to day life (occasionally though) and pretty much only does during coaching/ gymnastics/ and conditioning where prolonged forces are going through the wrist.
Sorry about the long winded post, just wanted to give a little history.
Thanks
